


Thomas and the Chocolate Factory

by under_the_blue_moonlight



Category: Cartoon Therapy (Web Series), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - All Media Types, Sanders Shorts, Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Gen, Nonbinary Sleep | Remy Sanders, filled, this fic is like, with bad parenting choices
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:42:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24290740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/under_the_blue_moonlight/pseuds/under_the_blue_moonlight
Summary: Remus Duke is the greatest chocolatier of all time, and after living the past few years a recluse, he decides to finally open his factory once again. And it's young orphan Thomas Sanders' dream to win a ticket and get to go!Will he win a ticket? And if he does, will he make it out alive?
Relationships: Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders
Comments: 5
Kudos: 22





	1. Chapter 1

Thomas Sanders was an orphan. He’d never known his parents, and had grown up in an orphanage with the many other kids there all his life. The owners of the orphanage, Dot and Larry, weren’t very wealthy. They tried their best to keep the place in good condition and give all the children the care they needed, but with every passing day, it became more apparent that the place was facing problems.

Not all the children realised as the portions of food became smaller at meals. Thomas did. Not all the children noticed as the chocolate they got weekly as a treat changed to be a monthly treat, and then changed again to a yearly one that every kid only got on their birthday. Thomas did. Not all the children noticed as things in the orphanage like the television and furniture were sold and switched out for cheaper, second-hand stuff. Thomas did. Not all the children noticed the look of relief Dot and Larry had when a child was adopted or fostered, as it meant they had one less mouth to feed. Thomas did.

So, Thomas decided to try and help out. He got an after school job doing the paper round. It didn’t earn much, but Dot and Larry were grateful all the same.

His new job meant the boy would have to pass a certain building in his town four times a day. A building that was torture for him to be near.

This building was a chocolate factory. And it was the largest in the world.

Remus Duke, the owner, was like the local town cryptid. Many in the town were once employed at his factory, where he created the most amazing candy inventions in the world. While the Duke brand chocolate bars were the signature item, other creations included ice-cream that would never melt, gum that never loses its flavour, bubblegum that can be blown to enormous sizes without popping, and more! It was incredible!

However, other chocolatiers grew envious of Remus’ booming business and ability to create things seemingly impossible. So, they sent in spies to go undercover and learn Remus’ secrets. Soon, Slugworth was releasing the ice-cream that never melted, Fickelgruber was selling gum that never lost its flavour, and Prodnose was selling the bubblegum that could be blown to enormous sizes! Remus, panicked, fired all his workers and closed his factory forever.

Forever didn’t last very long.

One day, smoke was coming from the chimneys again. Duke products were being sold at candy stores once more. Remus’ ex-employees raced to the factory, hoping to be given their jobs back. But Remus never came out from the factory to announce his return. Ever since its closure, no one had ever gone in, and no one had ever come out. No one knew who his new workers were. Apparently, shadows appeared in the windows, but no one could ever make them out.

Thomas would give anything to go into that factory. The place had fascinated him ever since he first heard the story of it. He wanted to know how Remus created the things he did, he wanted to know who the workers were, and he wanted to have the chance to try all of the Duke products he could. The only thing he’d ever tried were the chocolate bars he got for his birthday.

That’s why it was torture for him to walk past. As he walked from the orphanage to school, from the school to the news office, from the news office to the houses subscribed to the paper, and from those houses back home, he’d pass those large gates and the smell of warm sweet chocolate would flood and override his other senses. His stomach would growl hungrily, and he’d shuffle by slowly, imagining he were eating it as well as smelling it.

Torture. But blissful torture. It was his method of escapism.

One that he really needed as food portions got smaller and smaller.

One night, he’d been getting ready for bed. Larry came into his room to say goodnight, only for Thomas to speak before he could. “Larry? How much longer will you be able to keep the orphanage open? And where will we go when it closes?”

Larry sighed. He walked over, sitting on the end of Thomas’ bed. “... We don’t know how much longer. But there’s an orphanage in the next town over with a lot of spare rooms and in much better condition. They’ve agreed to take you all in when the time comes.”

Thomas nodded solemnly. “Okay… What about you and Dot? What are you going to do?”

“Dot’s probably going to go back to teaching. As for myself… I’m not that sure yet. But we’ll make do. You don’t need to worry, Thomas.”

“I’ll miss you.”

“We’ll miss you too, Thomas. But it’s okay. We’re not closing this place just yet. Now get some sleep, you have school tomorrow.”

“Okay… Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Thomas. See you in the morning.”

Thomas buried himself under his thin blanket as Larry stood up, flicked off the lights, and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Thomas’ eyes drifted to the window. There in the distance was the Duke factory, and the sky above it was filled with stars. And one of said stars was a shooting one, firing across the sky. As he saw it, Thomas wished with all his might that some good luck would come his way. That something would save the orphanage. That he’d get a new life and not have to go hungry anymore.

-

“I’m home!” Patton Gloop called through the bakery as he stepped inside. Only he shouted in German, obviously, given he lived in Germany.

His mother, Harley Gloop, poked her head through the doorway behind the counter that led to the kitchen. “Pat! Perfect timing, I just put in some cookies in to bake for you. I made an extra batch of dough with no eggs so you could eat it.”

Patton grinned, dropping his school bag. He ran behind the counter and into the kitchen, going right over to the bowl and digging in with the spoon. Mm, it was so good! He really needed this…

Patton hadn’t had the greatest day at school that day… He’d had PE, his least favourite lesson.

Patton was fat. He knew the word had bad connotations, but he didn’t think it should. He liked his body!

Well… he tried to. But it was hard to stay positive when no one else seemed to like his body.

He didn’t get bullied necessarily, but… People would tease him, call him nicknames like ‘butterball’, ‘chubs’ and things like that. He knew most people meant it in an endearing fun way, but it could still hurt sometimes.

However, one person who always meant for it to be taken seriously and hurtfully: his PE teacher. The guy was a… was a _b-hole_.

I know, it sounds very harsh, but it’s true. Due to Patton’s weight, he decided to force him to work a lot harder than any of the other kids. Patton would have to do exercises double time, put all the equipment away after the lesson on his own, sprint when the other students were told to jog, and jog when other students had to walk, and multiple times had been worked to the point he was physically sick. One of his best friends, Terrence, often found himself knelt beside him, comforting him as his breakfast came back up.

Little did Mr Wyatt, the PE teacher, know, said actions just enabled Patton and made him eat more. Because that’s what Patton did when sad: eat! It made him feel so much better; the delicious tastes distracted him from the bad feelings and made him feel bright and happy! Which is why he was so happy to be having this delicious cookie dough.

“So, honey, how was your day?” Harley asked, finishing up icing a cake to put in one of the display cases for the next day.

“It was good.” Patton didn’t like telling his mum what happened to him in PE. It would make her sad and angry, and he didn’t want to feel the bad feelings he did. “Terrence and I were talking about having another sleepover soon! I’m on snack duty as usual. I know both our favourites, after all. I think it’s going to be at Terrence’s this time.”

“You know what date yet?”

“Not yet. Hopefully soon, I can’t wait!”

Harley smiled, kissing his head as she passed him, taking the cake to the front of the store. “Why don’t you take that dough up with you to the apartment, get in your onesie and pick out a movie. Once the cookies are done, I’ll bring them up and we’ll watch it together.”

“Okay!” Patton picked up the bowl, running upstairs to his and his mother’s flat above the shop. It was small, but neither of them minded. It was all the two of them needed, and they were happy in it. He put the bowl down on the coffee table, before running to his room. “Hey, Toby!”

Toby, Patton’s dog, yawned awake from where he was curled up in his bed. Patton gave the dog a quick hug before going to his wardrobe and pulling out his grey cat onesie. Once he’d changed into it, he whistled for Toby to follow him, before leaving the room, returning to the lounge. He scooped up another spoonful of cookie dough, before going over to the DVD shelf.

“Hm… which one…?”

Patton looked over them a little longer, before smiling and pulling a DVD from the shelf. Winnie the Pooh was his favourite movie, but this was his favourite documentary. Well, by ‘favourite’, I mean the only one he actually liked and was interested in. It was all about the Duke factory, detailing the rise, fall and resurgence of it. Though, Patton didn't care much for the mystery side of the factory’s history. He just liked watching the candies, sweets and chocolates being produced. It looked so delicious, and always made him desperate to go out and buy a bunch of Duke chocolate - it was his favourite, after all.

Patton ran to the TV stand, putting the DVD into the player, before returning to the sofa. Toby immediately jumped up and curled up on his lap. Patton petted the dog’s head, before picking the bowl of cookie dough back up and digging back in. Soon, it was empty. With perfect timing, his mother came in holding a plate of cookies just as Patton put the bowl back on the coffee table. Harley sighed, smiling, as she saw what DVD Patton had chosen. “Why am I not surprised…?”

Patton giggled, taking a cookie from the plate. “You know how much I love Duke chocolate; it’s the best ever!” He smiled, turning back to the screen and pressing play on the remote. “I’d give anything to get a lifetime supply or see inside, or anything like that.”

That would be nice. Maybe, if he got to go and see inside, he wouldn’t be picked on anymore because everyone would want to be his friend to hear his story of what’s inside. Or, if he got a lifetime supply, everyone would want to be his friend so they could have some.

Either way, he’d get a lot of friends. And that would make him happy.

-

“Daddy, I’m home!”

Roman Salt called through the mansion as he stepped inside, the butler having let him in after driving him home from school. He pulled off his fur coat and handed it to said butler, waiting for his father to come in and greet him. He waited… and waited… and-

There were the footsteps. He turned to the person coming into the entrance hall, and his face soured. It was neither of his parents. Instead it was his nanny, Pryce.

“Welcome home, Roman. Now, I-”

“Where’s my father?”

Pryce sighed. “Roman, your father is on a very important business call in his office, and it will probably last for the rest of the day, so-”

“The rest of the day?!” Roman almost screeched. “My performance is tonight! He’s seriously missing it?!”

“Yes, he is. I’m sorry, Roman, but I’ll be taking you in-”

“This is unfair, he’d better be able to properly make it up to me! If not I’ll SCREAM!”

Before Pryce could respond, Roman was storming off in the direction of his dad’s office. Pryce chased after him, calling for him to stop and calm down, but Roman’s temper was a fire that could not be put out. He slammed open the door, causing his father, Romulus Salt, to almost jump out of his chair.

“YOU AREN’T COMING TO MY SHOW?!”

Romulus muttered to himself, before turning to his laptop. “I’ll be back in a moment.” He muted the call, before standing and turning to his son. “Roman, let me explain-”

“DON’T! I don’t want to hear an excuse! What I want is retribution!”

Romulus sighed, knowing what was coming. He put on a smile. “I’ll get you whatever you want, sweetheart.”

“Good! I want a horse. Valerie said she got one for her birthday, and they’re so much better than my stupid ponies. She may be my best friend, but I cannot let her show me up. Also, I would like a new mink coat - the fur’s getting all matted on my current one.”

“Of course, my little pri-”

“I’m not done! I want you to get a professional dressmaker to make me personal, high quality replicas of all the Disney Princess dresses. They need to be good, not like some cheap dress-up thing from a Disney store.”

“Okay, Ro, I’ll make sure you get all those things as soon as possible.”

“...Good.” Roman turned and left the office, head held high, the smuggest possible look on his face.

Once the door was closed, Romulus sighed in relief. Peace and quiet, once again. He took a moment, enjoying the calmness, before sitting back down behind his desk. He unmuted himself from the call, and returned his focus to business.

Roman, on the other hand, found Pryce once again, and gestured for him to follow him to his room. “I need to look my best for the show tonight, I need you to do my makeup. BUT!” He turned on his heels, glaring up at his nanny. “If you ruin any of my palettes, lipsticks, _anything_ … I’ll make sure daddy has you fired.”

Pryce nodded. “Of course. I’ll be very careful, Roman, I promise.”

“You’d better hold to that promise.” Roman led the way into his bedroom, sitting down at his dressing table, which was laden with more makeup than most people would buy in a lifetime. “Right, I’m playing a prince, so I need to look as handsome as possible, obviously - though to be fair, you don’t really need to do much to make that the case. A red and gold colour scheme is best, as my costume is white, red and gold. Make sure it’s bold enough to stand out on stage, but not to the point where it’s too unnatural and weird looking.”

Pryce nodded, already planning out the look in his head. Thanks to working with Roman for so long, he was an expert at creating very high quality makeup looks and then applying them fast. The boy had very high standards, and Pryce knew if he didn’t meet them, he would be fired. And he couldn’t let that happen - the pay was extremely good. So, Pryce had to bring out his skills now, and make sure not to comment on how extreme Roman’s makeup request was for what was just an amateur school play performed by a bunch of ten and eleven year olds.

Well, Roman did like to stand out and be the centre of attention.

Eventually, Pryce finished. He stepped back as Roman turned to his mirror. Pryce waited with bated breath, before Roman hummed. “It’s acceptable.” He picked up a hairbrush and hairspray, handing them to Pryce. “Now do my hair. It needs to be neat, and enough hairspray to hold all evening, but not so much that it will take ages to wash out.”

Pryce held back a sigh, starting to brush Roman’s hair. ‘Don’t worry, Pryce…’ he thought to himself reassuringly. ‘When you finally put your creative writing degree to good use and write a book and get it published, you can quit and move away...’

Roman raised an eyebrow as he noticed Pryce wasn’t quite focussed. He folded his arms, clearing his throat. When that failed to get Pryce’s attention, his expression soured. “PRYCE! Focus!!!”

Pryce started, face flushing. “S-sorry…” He drew his focus back to what he was doing. When he was done, Roman gave a nod which translated to ‘acceptable’.

Roman stood. “We need to get going if we’re going to get there on time. You packed me a dinner to have at school, correct?”

Pryce nodded. “I’ll go grab it from the kitchen and meet you in the entrance hall.” He held the door open for Roman, letting him past. Roman didn’t thank him, heading down to the entrance hall.

“Butler!” he called. He’d never bothered to learn any of the staff’s names apart from Pryce’s, since Pryce was the one who practically raised him.

The butler came in. “Yes, Master Salt?”

“Get my coat.”

“Which one, Master Salt?”

“Hm… the leopard print one, please.”

The butler nodded, heading to the coat room. Roman’s patience wore thin very quickly, as it usually did. When the butler came back, he snatched the coat. “Took you long enough.” He pulled the coat on. “You’ll need to drive Pryce and I to school. He’ll be here in a minute.”

When Pryce finally came in, Roman snatched the bag that contained his dinner away from him immediately. “Be a little faster next time.” He opened the bag, humming as he looked over its contents. Pasta, garlic bread, and for dessert, a Duke chocolate bar. He nodded. “Acceptable. Now, let’s go!” He turned and left the mansion, Pryce and the butler promptly following.

-

It was all down to this. The teams were tied. The Bayshore Little League team had one batter left. They needed a homerun. Luckily, it was their best player who was stepping up to the plate.

Logan Beauregarde narrowed his eyes at the pitcher, blowing a bubble with the gum in his mouth. He sucked the bubble back in as he raised his bat, gaze focused on the ball in the pitcher’s hand.

The pitcher threw the ball, and as it neared, Logan swung his bat as hard as he could, hitting right on target. The ball was sent flying, and he took off running. He reached first base as the ball had landed and stopped rolling, was at second by the time one of the fielders got to it, reached third as the ball was thrown back near the diamond. It was a race to home base.

He skidded to a stop at the base just before the catcher caught the ball.

Cheers rang out from the home team’s dugout as well as the stand where the team’s family and friends were. Bayshore had won! The team ran out from the dugout, all going into a hug on the field. Logan beamed with pride as his teammates and coach all started cheering him, calling him awesome and the best player. He knew it to be true, but that didn’t change the fact he liked to hear it. However, he knew he couldn’t stay for long; he had somewhere to be. He pushed through the crowd, heading towards the stands, which his dad was coming down from.

“Lo! Oh, you did amazingly, I’m so proud!” Teal Beauregarde smiled, hugging his son close.

“Um, Dad? Hugging… You know I don’t really like hugging…”

“Oh, right. Sorry.” Teal pulled away. “But you really did do great.”

“Thank you…” Logan paused, looking around. “Where’s Pa?”

“Oh, he, um…”

Logan sighed. “He didn’t come again?”

“He was probably busy with work. But hey, you know he’ll be really happy when he hears you won!”

“True...”

Teal sighed, trying to think of a way to cheer his son up, before remembering something. “Hey, I ran into Joan earlier. I said maybe they could come round and you two could have a sleepover tonight. We could order pizza, you can watch movies, play video games-”

“Can’t. Busy.”

“Huh?”

“Dad, you know the high school asked me to fill in for a missing member of their mathletes team, and then after that, tonight, I have a chess tournament.”

“Oh, yeah. Of course. Tomorrow night, then?”

“I have astronomy club, a soccer match and then karate. And before you say the day after, I have robotics club and then ice skating. Now I need to go get changed into my mathlete uniform, Pa’ll probably be here soon to take me there and I need to be ready.”

Logan turned and was about to walk away, when Teal caught his hand before kneeling down in front of him so he was the boy’s height. “Lo, you don’t get too overwhelmed, do you?”

Logan’s eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“You do so much in a week, every week. So much extracurricular, so many competitions… Promise me you’ll let me know if it’s ever too much, okay?”

Logan responded with a simple eye roll accompanied with a slightly cocky smirk. “Dad. I’m a world record holding gum chewer; I’ve been asked to fill in for a high school mathletes team when I’m still in the 5th grade; I currently hold the title of the champion of the under elevens national chess championship, a title which I’ll defend tonight; and I could go on with a bunch of my other achievements. Trust me, I can never get overwhelmed by a workload. Remember the motto Pa gave me? ‘Win or die trying’. I’m sticking to it.”

And with that, he turned and walked off towards the changing rooms, blowing a bubble with his gum as he went. Teal sighed as he watched his son leave. He often worried Logan was a little too confident for his own good. Teal wished he had the guts to talk with his husband about what he was teaching their son...

Logan, meanwhile, quickly got changed, before heading back out, only this time leaving the field and going to the sidewalk, where he quickly found his Pa’s car parked. He ran over, before climbing in the passenger seat.

Anton Beauregarde turned to him as the boy climbed in. “Did you win?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Good,” Anton nodded. “Still got your gum?”

“Yes, I do.”

Anton nodded again, before starting the car. As he pulled away from the curb, he started talking again. “It’s very important you win this round of mathletes tonight. You need to get through to the quarter finals, since that’s televised.”

“I’m not aiming to get into the quarter finals,” Logan replied. “I’m aiming to win the finals. And before you say it, yes, I’m aiming to keep my chess championship title. Don’t worry, my motivation hasn’t waned.”

His father didn’t respond, so Logan assumed Anton had heard all he wanted to hear. Logan turned, looking out the window, absentmindedly blowing another bubble.

Logan’s pa had always been… hard to please. He wasn’t the affectionate type, a trait Logan appeared to adopt from him over his development. This led to Logan quickly learning that he would gain praise - the closest thing Anton gave to affection - if he made his father proud by being high achieving and being, well, a winner. So, at school, Logan threw himself into academic studies. He quickly climbed to the top of his classes, and started taking academic extracurriculars. It didn’t do much. So, he started going outside of his comfort zones, dipping into different sports. Baseball, soccer, karate, ice skating, gymnastics. Still nothing. So he decided to do something big: break a world record.

Breaking the world record for the longest time spent chewing the same stick of gum was an obvious choice. Logan liked gum - he often chewed it while working to stop himself fidgeting. The current record was only three months, something he knew he could easily beat. So, he went to a candy store and bought a stick of Duke brand gum, specifically the gum that never loses its flavour. Not losing the fruity taste to bland nothingness would make it easier.

Three months and a day later, he was awarded a certificate saying he was now a world record holder, which was hung up in the living room to this day. Anton finally started acknowledging his son’s achievements and started getting more involved in Logan’s life. Logan could have given up gum chewing then… but he’d gotten kind of addicted. And what if someone broke the record and he lost his pa’s respect? So he kept chewing, and hadn’t stopped since.

And he was happy. Yeah… he was happy.

-

“Virgil! Virgil!”

Virgil Teevee’s eyes did not leave the TV. He didn’t even hear the voice calling his name to be fair - he had a headset on, his ears filled with the noises from the game he was playing as well as the voices of the people he was playing online with.

“Shoot, I’m out of ammo…” he mumbled as his character pressed his trigger to no avail. “Can you guys cover me while I try to find more ammo?”

“Sure,” one of the guys he was playing with - Andy - replied. “Also, here. Not much ammo left in it, but it should last until you find more.” Andy’s character dropped a handgun in front of Virgil’s.

“Thanks.”

“VIRGIL!!!”

This time, Virgil heard. He pulled off his headset, before calling, “What?!”

His mother’s voice called back. “We have to get going, come on!”

Virgil immediately paled. “Um… go where…?”

His mother, Linda Teevee came in, pulling on a cardigan. “We have that meeting with your teacher, remember? I reminded you this morning.”

Virgil felt like he was going to be sick. He knew his grades had been dropping. He knew he hadn’t done 90% of the homework assignments that he had been set so far this year. He knew he barely paid attention in class, just sitting in terror that he’d be called on to answer a question. This was going to be the worst meeting with the teacher of his life.

He needed to prepare.

He left the game, turning off the TV, before running upstairs to his room. He pulled on his sneakers first, before he grabbed his largest pair of soundproof headphones, as well as his phone and Nintendo Switch. He plugged the headphones into his phone, started playing music, and turned up the volume. He slipped a game cartridge into the Switch, turning it on, and starting to play. He left his room, heading downstairs, not lifting his eyes from the console in his hands.

This was his plan. This was how he was going to get through this whole evening. Just ignore everything and bury himself in Mario Kart and Animal Crossing and the other games he had for his Switch.

It had worked before, and would likely work again.

Linda didn’t bat an eye as she saw Virgil come in head down, glued to the screen. Over the years, she had gotten used to his apparent gaming addiction. If anything, she encouraged it. His games kept him out of trouble.

Linda remembered when Virgil was younger… He was such a handful! When he was in kindergarten, she felt like she was called in every other day because Virgil had a screaming match that led to him being sick. Then, when he started elementary school, she kept having to come in because Virgil passed out in lesson, apparently due to getting extremely panicked when called on, leading to him hyperventilating and being unable to breathe.

But then he started getting into video games. Suddenly, he was calmer, much more reserved, and kept out of trouble. She didn’t have to come running to pick him up from school on a regular basis anymore.

So, she got him the consoles and games he wanted, and left him to his own devices. She was happy, her son was happy. It was good all around.

“Come on, then, lets go,” she said despite knowing full well Virgil couldn’t hear her. She left the house, Virgil trailing behind. They climbed into the car, before heading off.

Linda didn’t bother to try and start a conversation with her son as they drove up to the school. She knew by now that he always kept his music up so loud he couldn’t hear anyone. 

And she was right. To Virgil, the journey up to school, the meeting with his teacher, and the journey home all blended together. Whatever happened during the meeting, Virgil knew it couldn’t be good, so he purposefully stayed ignorant. When they got home, he wordlessly went up to his room before his mom could try and question him about what was said by his teacher. He turned off his Switch, before getting out his laptop. On it, he returned to the game he had been playing before he left the house.

“Hey, Verge, where’d you go?” Andy’s voice spoke as Virgil turned his mic back on.

“Had some stuff. Doesn’t matter, I’m back now. What’d I miss?”

“Missy choked on his Duke chocolate bar after his brother scared him.”

Virgil chuckled. “Missy, you need to get Pranks under control…”

Missy mumbled incoherently in annoyance, Virgil and Andy laughing.

Talking to his friends online was the best thing, Virgil thought. Even better than having real life friends. Real life friends judge you based on your appearance and popularity. Online, all that mattered was whether you were good enough at gaming, and if you were, boom, you're in a group who’ll invite you to play no matter what. They couldn’t see Virgil and what a mess he could be. All they knew about him was what he told them. And they liked what they knew of him.

And that was good enough for him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remus Duke announces to the world that his factory will open, and word quickly spreads.

Thomas’ stomach growled as he dejectedly walked home from his paper route. He groaned, hugging his tummy as he walked, rain soaking him as he went. Curse Florida weather...

It seemed his wish upon a star had not been accepted. Instead of some miracles coming his way, things had gotten worse. Breakfast wasn’t an option for anyone at the orphanage anymore. Instead, they had to go hungry until lunch. So, Thomas had only had one meal so far today, and it wasn’t even that good. The food served as school meals cannot count as actual food. How are they allowed to serve that stuff?

He got even more annoyed when a van drove quickly past him, going through a large puddle in the process, which splashed over Thomas, soaking him even more. Thomas took a deep breath, trying not to lose his temper, glaring at the van, only to pause when he saw what van it was: a Duke chocolate van.

Thomas’ eyebrows furrowed. It was known through the town that the vans delivering Duke chocolate only left the factory after dark - something that only added to Remus’ cryptidness. Seeing one out during the day was very strange.

And it got even stranger when the van pulled to a stop nowhere near a candy store, and instead by a lamp post. An arm reached out the window, sticking a flier to it, before the van drove off.

Thomas blinked, watching it go, before his attention went back to the lamp post. He wandered over to it, reading the message written on the note.

_ Dear guys, gals and non-binary pals all around the world, _

_ I, Remus Duke, am opening my factory to the public. But hold your horses, don't come running to my factory just yet! Not just anyone can come. I will be sending out five golden tickets hidden under the wrappers of five Duke chocolate bars for children to find. The five children who do find the tickets will be invited on a tour around the factory conducted by myself, and after will be given a lifetime supply of chocolate. However, one child may receive a different, special prize should I see them fit for it... _

_ Happy hunting, and good luck! _

_ Remus Duke _

Oh. My. Gosh.

Thomas pulled the flier off of the post, needing to feel it to see it was actually real. It was. Oh my gosh, Remus Duke’s factory was opening.

After staring at the letter in shock for a few more seconds, he turned and took off running. He didn’t stop, going as fast as he possibly could until he arrived at the orphanage, practically slamming on the door instead of knocking. After a few moments, it was opened by Dot.

“Thomas, you’re soaking! Come on in, let’s get you dri-”

“Dot, look look! I saw this being put up coming back from my paper route! The factory, it’s opening! Remus Duke’s opening his factory!” Thomas pushed the flier into Dot’s hands, practically jumping up and down in excitement.

He honestly didn’t know why he was so excited. He knew full well, he had basically no chance of winning a ticket and being able to go on the tour. Well, he had a chance, but only one: the Duke bar he’d get on his birthday, which was coming up soon. But that was the only chance he’d have. Other kids would be able to get tens, maybe hundreds of bars a week. Thomas and the other children in the orphanage could only get a single one a year. Thomas shouldn’t have been getting his hopes up like he was…

“This is real?” Dot asked, drawing Thomas’ attention back to the present. 

Thomas nodded. “I saw a Duke truck drive by and the person driving it pinned it up!”

“Thomas, that’s wonderful news. I bet everyone will be really excited. I’ll go spread the news, and in the meantime you should probably have a warm shower and get dry. We don’t want you getting sick, do we?”

Thomas nodded, before turning and running off upstairs and to the bathroom. One shower later, he got dressed into some clean, though still tattered and old, clothes, before running back downstairs. It was obvious Dot had told the other kids what had happened, as everyone was gathered in the living room, talking excitedly. When Thomas came in, two of the younger kids in particular ran up to him.

“Thomas! Is it true?! Is the factory really opening?!” Kai bounced on the balls of his feet as he asked.

Thomas nodded. “Yep!”

“Your birthday’s coming up!” Elliot said. “You could win a ticket and get to go!”

“I really really hope I will.” Thomas did wish on that star a few days ago… Maybe this was because of it! Maybe he was destined to win a ticket; maybe, on his birthday, fate was going to make it so that there would be a golden ticket within his chocolate bar, and that would be the good luck he wished for!

“Now, Elliot, don’t get his hopes up,” Larry said. “There are millions of Duke bars being sold every day. It’s highly unlikely Thomas will win a ticket and be able to go. It’s practically impossible in fact.”

“Larry…”

“What?” he turned to his wife, who had folded her arms. “We shouldn’t give them false hope. It’d just be cruel to make them excited and then have it torn away.”

Dot sighed. “I guess… but they don’t get much to be excited about. We should let them have something to be happy about.”

The two continued talking to each other, most of the children ignoring them and going back to their excited chatter, talking about what they thought the factory and the man who ran it would be like. Thomas was the only one who kept focused on Dot and Larry’s conversation. He guessed Larry was right, he shouldn’t get his hopes too high. Not to mention, winning a ticket would just let him tour around the factory. And while, yes, that would be amazing and a dream come true for him, it wouldn’t help with what was important. A lifetime supply of candy can’t make up for proper nutritious meals. Meeting Remus Duke wouldn’t save the orphanage from closing. He shouldn’t put so much on the idea of winning.

“Thomas? Are you okay?” Elliot must have noticed his thoughtful expression.

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry. Just a little tired after school and work.” He raised his voice so all the other kids would hear and listen. “How about we put on a movie?”

Voices of agreement rang through the living room. Suggestions for movies were called out as Thomas went and got a bowl and notepad. Once the suggestions were put forward, Thomas handed out strips of paper for everyone to vote. When all the votes were in the bowl, Thomas counted.

Soon, all the kids were gathered around the living room, as well as Dot and Larry, whose discussion had ended, watching Tangled. And as Rapunzel sang, Thomas couldn’t help but wonder. In the film, Rapunzel went on a quest to get what she wanted: to leave the tower and see the lanterns. But she ended up getting what she needed: to be reunited with her family and be free from Mother Gothel.

What if something like that was true for Thomas? What if getting what he wanted - winning a tour around the factory - would lead to getting what he needed - a new happy life and an orphanage that won’t close?

And that thought? Well, it was hard not to get his hopes up when thinking about it.

-

Patton giggled as Toby excitedly ran over and jumped up onto his bed, curling up to his side. He scratched the scruff of the dog’s neck as he settled down under his duvet. “Night, Tobes.”

Patton made sure his night light was on, before flicking off the lamp on his bedside and laying down to go to sleep. He wasn’t sure how long he slept - heck, he didn’t know if he even got to sleep at all - before the door to his bedroom was pushed open, light spilling into the room.

“Sorry to wake you, Pat, but there’s something I think you’d really want to see!” Harley was smiling brightly from his doorway.

Patton rubbed his eyes, sitting up and turning his lamp back on. “What is it…?”

“Come see!” Harley came over, taking his hand, and leading him out of his bed and out to the living room. Toby followed at Patton’s heels as the boy, clutching his favourite plush toy - a frog - to his chest, went over and sat on the couch. He blinked at the TV, willing his tired eyes to focus on the bright screen. It took him a moment to realise that the blurriness wasn’t because he was tired, but because he forgot to put on his glasses before leaving his room. Luckily, it seemed his mother had seen him overlook this and gone to get them, as Harley suddenly slipped them onto his face.

“Thanks, Mum!” Patton gave Harley a thankful smile, before looking back to the screen as Harley unpaused it.

It was a news report. Patton was confused at first as to why, of all things, his mother would show him a news report. He was only ten, usually he wasn’t told about stuff in the news unless it was really important stuff.

But as the report went on, Patton found his eyes widening in excitement and shining in amazement. When the report finished, he could barely form words. He turned to his mother, who was smiling at the joy on his face. “How about I get you a Duke bar for you to have before you go back to bed?”

Patton nodded, and Harley headed off to the kitchen. Patton looked down at Toby, smiling. “Did you see the TV, Tobes?! Isn’t it exciting?! Oh, I really really really hope I get to go! It’d be a dream come true…”

Harley came back, handing Patton the chocolate bar. Patton went to excitedly tear it open, only to pause before he did so. Harley frowned. “What’s the matter, Pattoncake?”

“Nothing, I just… I’m really excited. I really really hope a ticket is in this.” Patton closed his eyes, wishing as hard as he could possibly wish, before opening the bar.

He opened his eyes.

Nothing. Just a chocolate bar. He sighed. “Oh… oh well. I guess I can always buy some more after school tomorrow?”

Harley smiled at her son’s optimism, kissing his head as he started eating the Duke bar. “I’ll give you some money tomorrow morning. Now finish that chocolate, and then it’s back to bed, Pattoncake.”

Patton nodded, munching happily at the chocolate bar. He was going to win a ticket, he just knew it! It was his dream after all. He’d eat as many Duke bars as it took!

-

_ Knock knock knock! _

Romulus didn’t look up from his laptop as he called “Come in!” to whoever the person outside his office door was. He was in the process of writing an email to the CEO of another company and he could be about to make the biggest business deal of his life. He wouldn’t let himself get distracted by one of his workers, probably demanding a pay rise they didn’t need, and threatening a strike they would never follow through with if they didn’t get it.

“Mr Salt?”

Now Romulus looked up from his laptop, frowning. “Pryce? What are you doing here? It’s past Roman’s bedtime, you should be at home with him.”

Pryce stepped into the room. “I know, it’s just there was just an announcement on the news, and Roman demanded to come see you right after. I told him to wait in the car while I informed you, and though I know he probably won’t listen and will scream it to you whenever he gets here, I thought I should let you know calmly first: Remus Duke is opening his factory.”

Romulus’ eyes widened. “He’s what?” He paused. “This could be a great business opportunity… Possible partnership between Salt’s Nut Corporation and Duke Chocolate...”

“The news said that five tickets have been hidden in the wrappers of Duke bars, and those who win them will get to go on a tour of the factory. So, Roman will probably want you to buy as many as you can so that he can go.”

Perfectly on time, the door to the office suddenly slammed open, Roman storming in. Romulus and Pryce shared a ‘here we go’ kind of look, before Roman started ranting.

“I want a golden ticket!  _ Get me a golden ticket _ !”

Romulus nodded. “Yes, of course, Roman. I’ll start placing orders for Duke bars later tonight, and you can open them when they arri-”

Roman scoffed. “Are you kidding me? I’m not opening all those bars by myself!” He paused, before a grin spread across his face. “Get your workers to do it!”

Romulus blinked at his son, before raising an eyebrow. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Your workers spend all day shelling nuts. When the bars arrive, make them start opening up the chocolate to find me a ticket instead. And I won’t take no for an answer!”

Romulus sighed. That would not at all be profitable, stopping production for so long… but if he didn’t do as his son said, he would never hear the end of it. The screaming… the screaming would never end. He’d need all the headache medication he could possibly afford to get through it.

“Okay, Roman, I’ll get my workers to look for a bar for you.”

The anger disappeared from Roman’s face, replacing itself with a sweet smile. “Great!” He turned, and marched out of the office. “... PRYCE! LETS GO!”

Pryce jumped at the yell. “Uh, coming!” He turned to Romulus. “Goodbye, sir.” He quickly hurried from the room after Roman.

Romulus sighed, opening the Duke website on his laptop, and starting to place orders.

-

“Excellent vault, Alexander! Next time, try not to stumble when you land. Stay strong and keep your form. Now, Logan, you’re up.”

Logan stepped up to the run, taking his gum out of his mouth and sticking it behind his ear. Rather unhygienic, he knew, but where else was he supposed to keep it? He couldn’t exactly keep chewing while vaulting, he’d choke on it.

Today in his gymnastics club, they were supposed to be doing front handsprings on the vault. Logan, however, had a little surprise up his sleeve.

He sprinted down the run, jumped on the springboard, and planted his hands on the vault, performing the front handspring with ease. However, as he pushed off the vault to land, he added in a half twist before his feet planted solidly on the mat. He stood up straight, smiling proudly as Mr Winterson called out, “Excellent, Logan! Now, Logan just demonstrated a front handspring with a twist on the landing. That is what you’ll be learning after you’ve perfected the front handspring.” He turned to Logan as the boy walked back over, popping his gum back into his mouth. “I’m assuming you’ll work on something a little more difficult for then?”

Logan nodded. “Definitely. I’m thinking-”

He was interrupted when the door slammed open. “LOGAN!”

Logan’s best friend, Joan, was running over so fast it was a miracle their beanie didn’t fly off their head. They panted as they came to a stop in front of Logan. “Duke… opening… tickets…”

Logan went over to where his water bottle was resting at the side of the room, picking it up before running back over and offering it to Joan. They muttered a “Thanks”, taking a drink and a deep breath before speaking more clearly. “Remus Duke is opening his factory!”

Almost immediately, all the other boys gathered around Logan and Joan, yelling questions, all desperate to hear what Joan had to say. They quickly answered, explaining what they knew. “He’s released five tickets hidden in Duke bars, you need to find one to get to go!”

“Okay, the session’s over early today, boys, you can all get ready to head home!” Mr Winterson called out. He seemed just as excited about the news as all the kids.

“Wait here, I’ll be out in a minute,” Logan told Joan before he turned and ran to the changing rooms along with all the other boys. When he arrived and started getting changed out of his leotard, his phone vibrated with a message.

_ Pa: You’ll win a ticket, won’t you? You’re my little champion after all. _

Logan smiled, before responding.

_ Logan: Of course. Win or die trying. _

He finished getting dressed, straightening his tie, before heading back out to Joan, the two leaving the gym.

As they started walking down the road, Joan frowned. They pointed behind them. “Isn’t the store that way?”

Logan, however, didn’t turn around. “If you want to look for a bar, go ahead. But I’m not heading to the store, I’m heading to my house. There’s no need to waste a bunch of money and time getting a bunch of chocolate bars. All I need is a little bit of research.”

Joan raised an eyebrow, but shrugged. “Suit yourself. Good luck!” They turned, heading in the direction of the candy store.

Logan continued his way home, pulling his phone from his pocket as he blew a bubble with his gum. Time to see if he could get some information about Duke chocolate distribution over the last few days.

-

“Shoot shoot shoot shoot!”

“What’s up?”

“Not much, apart from the fact there’s a fricking creeper in my house! How did you get in here?! Leave!!!”

Virgil chuckled, calmly collecting wheat from his farm in Minecraft. Andy didn’t seem to appreciate the lack of reaction from the other boy. “C’mon, Verge, get over here and help me!”

“Hmm… nah, no thanks. Not gonna put myself in harm’s way. I’m not losing all this experience.”

“Betrayal. Complete and utter betrayal, Verge. I thought you were my friend.”

Virgil shrugged. “Hey, at least I just didn’t arrive at all despite saying I would.” He paused. “Where is Missy, anyway?”

“Dunno- GOD DAMN IT! The creeper blew up! I didn’t even get close to it! Oh, my precious items...”

“Big oof.”

It was at that moment that Missy finally joined the discord call. “GUYS! MY BROTHER JUST TOLD ME THE BEST NEWS!”

“It can wait, Missy, get in the game. I need all hands on deck to rebuild my house.”

“Your house can wait, Andy! No offence, but I really don’t care!”

“Full offence taken.”

“Ssh! Ssh! Shut up, Andy! Let me speak!” Missy took a deep breath. “Guys… Pranks told me that Remus Duke is opening up his factory.”

There was a long pause, before Virgil replied, “Um… Missy, you literally gave your brother the nickname Pranks. Has it occurred to you that maybe, possibly, this could be a prank? I mean… the Duke factory hasn’t opened for years.”

“No, I mean it! I was sceptical at first as well, but I looked it up, and it’s true! Everywhere’s reporting on it. Go on, google it yourselves.”

Virgil pulled his phone from his pocket, assuming Andy was doing the same. He googled ‘Duke opening’ and, lo and behold, all the results were news sites announcing that the factory was indeed opening.

“Holy sugar honey iced tea…” Andy mumbled.

“Told ya! Five tickets are hidden in Duke bars. You find one of them, you get to go.” Missy gasped. “Hey! We should all try and win one each! Then we can all finally meet each other in person!”

“Sounds cool!” Andy said.

Virgil, though, wasn’t so sure. Whenever either of the other two brought up meeting in person, he tried to subtly decline, pretending he was busy or something. He was scared. What if they didn’t like who he was in real life? What if, after spending a day together, they decided they didn’t want to play with him anymore? “I dunno, guys… I mean, it’s really unlikely any of us will win one. Even less likely that all three of us do.”

“There’s still a chance,” Missy replied, finally joining the Minecraft server. “And hey, even if not all of us win, maybe one of us will, and that person can tell the rest of us about the factory.”

“I’m in,” Andy said. “Verge? C’mon, buddy, don’t miss out.”

Virgil didn’t know why his response was what it was, and he regretted saying it right after. But he sighed, “Fine. I’m in."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first golden ticket is found.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is just... filled with bad parenting choices.  
> Idk if there are any warnings I should probably add here, let me know if you want me to add any!

Thomas frowned down at his shoes as he walked home from school. The sole had been starting to tear off of the left one for some time now, but today it seemed to be on its last legs. Well… at least today was his day off from his paper route, so he had the evening free to see if he could find a way to fix them?

As he walked past a candy store on his way home, he looked through the window. The place was practically full of people, all wrestling to get to the counter and hand over their money. The person behind the counter was hurriedly handing out Duke bars, trying to keep up with the growing line. Thomas sighed, stomach growling as he watched people ripping open and devouring Duke bars. He’d give anything to be in there with him, having the chance of winning a ticket, and even if he didn’t win one, getting to eat all that delicious sweet chocolate…

He shook his head. As fun as fantasising was, it wouldn’t put food on the table. And it wouldn’t fix his shoes either. He needed to get back to do so.

He continued walking down the street, hurrying up a little as he heard the rumble of thunder. He didn’t want to get caught in the rain again like last week. He hummed as he went, starting to daydream about what he thought would be in the Duke factory. I mean, since he’d likely never be able to see it himself, he may as well construct his own version of it in his head to explore.

So much candy… what if there was a room that was made of pure candy? It seemed like something Remus Duke would make. Maybe… there would be… a flavoured ice rink! And when it’s skated on, the ice the skates shave off is taken away and sold as, well, shaved ice! And, for warming up after, right next door, there could be a room with Hot Cocoa Springs! And what if there was also a room where the floor is made of jello, and you could jump on it like a trampoline!

After some time of thinking what the factory could contain, his mind drifted to the man himself. Remus Duke… what would he be like? Creative and rather eccentric of course. You’d have to be to make what he does. He also must be really really smart. And to choose to spend his life bringing joy to people, mostly children, by making candy, he must be so kind and warm, and a little childish at heart too.

Well, Thomas guessed that even if he never got to meet Remus in person, he’d at least get to see him for a bit on TV, since there’d undoubtedly be reporters there when the factory opened.

He soon found himself back at the orphanage and, as he was welcomed inside by Dot, he almost immediately felt his arm be grabbed.

“Thomas, you’re just in time! Come on, you gotta see!” Kai grinned as he tried to tug Thomas over to the living room.

“See what?”

“The news! The first golden ticket’s been found! There’s about to be an interview with the boy who won it!”

Thomas felt a weird mix of disappointment and intrigue as he quickly followed Kai to the living room. He sat on the couch along with all the other children who had gathered to see the news report. Dot stood in the doorway behind them all, a little curious to see who it was who won too.

On the screen, the anchorman announced they were going over to the reporter on scene. Thomas leant forward in his seat as the screen transitioned to show the reporter: they had brown skin and curly black hair that was shaved on one side and partially dyed pink. They were wearing clothes that seemed less than professional - sunglasses, a white t-shirt, and a black jacket.

“Thanks, babes. I’m here in Dusselheim, Germany to have an exclusive interview with the first golden ticket winner of the Duke competition: Patton Gloop!”

The camera zoomed out to show a boy sitting beside the reporter along with a woman who Thomas assumed was Patton’s mother. Patton himself was… well, Thomas hoped it didn’t sound rude to say, but he was fat. His round face was peppered with freckles, and he wore round glasses over his light blue eyes. His hair was curly and blonde, a trait his mother shared. Patton was wearing a blue sweater with a frog on it and khaki shorts, and was eating a Duke chocolate bar.

“So, Patton, you excited to go see the factory?” the reporter asked, before holding their microphone to the boy to respond.

Patton nodded, swallowing the bite of chocolate that he’d have in his mouth. “Yep, I can’t wait! I hope I get to try a lot of samples for a bunch of candies and chocolate, all of Mr Duke’s stuff tastes sooooo good! I’m a huge fan!”

“Patton loves eating, it’s one of his biggest hobbies,” his mother added. “Good thing given I myself am a baker! But the Duke brand has always been his favourite, he’d have anything Remus Duke makes. He eats so many bars a day, it doesn’t surprise me he won a ticket.” She ruffled Patton’s hair, causing him to giggle.

The reporter nodded, “Kay. How exactly did you find the ticket, Pat? What’s the story?”

“Oh, well, it was yesterday after school…”

-

The second the bell rang to signal the end of school, he and his friends Dayd and Terrence shared excited looks, before practically jumping out of their chairs. They ran out of the room right after their teacher dismissed them.

“Do you all have money or do we need to stop off at anyone’s houses first?” Dayd asked, pulling his backpack on.

“My mum gave me some this morning, it’s in my bag,” Patton replied, slipping on his frog raincoat. “Terrence?”

“Got mine.”

“Then lets go!”

The three boys practically ran from the school building, before sprinting across the playground to the main gate at full speed. However, after they were through the gate and starting to head down the pavement, Patton slowed to a walk, panting a little. “Uh… can we slow down a little…? I’m a little tired…”

“Sure. Sorry we almost left you behind, Pat,” Dayd said as he and Terrence stopped, waiting for Patton to catch up.

“It’s fine, you don’t need to apologise,” Patton reassured, reaching into his bag and pulling out a Duke chocolate bar. “I have a few of these on me already to get my energy back.”

“You already have some on you?” Terrence asked.

“Yep! I’m buying as many as I can everyday to boost my chances of winning! It means it takes some time to open them all, though…” Patton ripped open the bar as he talked before taking a big bite. He then asked, with his mouth full. “You two want one?”

“Sure!”

“Thanks, Pat!”

Patton reached into his bag and pulled out two Duke chocolate bars. He handed one to each of his friends, who happily accepted them. They both sighed upon seeing them absent of tickets, before biting into them.

As the three boys walked down the street, they continued to eat their chocolate. By the time they reached the candy store, they had all finished. Patton pulled another bar for himself from his bag as they stepped inside, heading over to the Duke section of the store. Unsurprisingly, there were quite a few people there, all pushing past each other to get chocolate bars. Patton sighed in disappointment, knowing there was no way they’d be able to get past the small crowd to get more chocolate. He dejectedly opened the one he was holding, taking a bite without looking down at it.

However, he almost immediately slowed his chewing. It tasted weird… and there was a strange texture to part of it…

Dayd frowned as he crouched down, trying to see if he could push between people’s legs to get to the shelves, but there wasn’t enough space. He frowned, before turning and looking up to Terrence. “Think you could fit through?”

Patton frowned, reaching into his mouth and pulling out the bit of the bar with the papery texture.

Terrence considered Dayd’s question, before shaking his head. “No, there’s not enough room.” He sighed. “Guess we just have to wait and hope that there’s still some bars left when there is a space to get through.”

Patton looked down at the bit of chocolate bar in his hand that wasn’t actually chocolate at all. It was a bit of paper. Golden paper. He looked down at the bar in his hands.

“Great... “ Dayd sighed. “We’ll never win any tickets at this rate…”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that!”

Terrence and Dayd turned around to face Patton. And Patton was pulling a golden ticket out of his chocolate bar. “I won!”

After a moment of staring in shock, Dayd and Terrence burst into excited yells and cheers. It wasn’t long until all the others nearby wrestling over Duke bars were distracted by the cheers and noticed the golden ticket in Patton’s hands. Dayd and Terrence used the opportunity to go grab some bars for themselves. Then, once the two of them paid, the three boys left, excitedly talking about Patton’s win.

When they all had to split up and all go their separate ways home, Patton immediately ran as fast as he could, not caring at how out of breath he got, excited to tell his mother the news.

-

The reporter nodded as Patton finished his story. “So, what are you looking forward to most about going to the factory? Anything you’re hoping to see?”

Patton hummed for a moment, thinking. “Hm… Well, I’m hoping to get to try a bunch of sweets that I never have before! And maybe some I have too… I just want to try a bunch of things!”

“Cool. Now, let's get into the tea. Patton, what are you hoping the other tour members are like?”

“Oh, I hope that they’re really nice and friendly! I really want to get to know all of them and hopefully make friends with them. I hope we can even keep a connection after the tour is over! It’ll be really cool to make friends with people from other parts of the world.”

“Well, ain’t that sweet.” The reporter turned back to the camera. “That’s been our interview with the first golden ticket winner, Patton Gloop. I’m Remy Sleep, and I’ll be back when the next ticket is found. Back to the studio.”

The screen changed back to show the anchorman, who went on to another story. Thomas sighed, feeling a little disappointed at the fact he had one less chance at the possibility of winning a ticket. But he guessed it could be worse. Patton seemed like a really sweet kid, and given how big a fan of Duke candy he seemed to be, he really appeared to deserve to get to go to the factory.

But still. It couldn’t change the slight loss of hope Thomas felt.

-

“YOU SAID I’D BE THE FIRST PERSON TO WIN ONE!”

Romulus sighed. He made a mental note to purchase some earplugs at some point. He’d need them if he didn’t want to go deaf. “Roman, I know I promised, and I’m sorry. But all the world is looking for these tickets. There may not even be any in the country, for all I know. There are only five, and a lot of places they could be.”

“Then start getting shipments from other countries! Make your workers work overnight!” Roman demanded, slamming his hands on his father’s desk. “If I don’t win the next one, I’ll scream!”

Pryce spoke up from where he was standing in the corner. “Roman, maybe we should head home so your dad can-” He cut himself off when Roman shot him a poisonous glare.

“I’ll make sure of it, Roman,” Romulus continued. “You won’t need to wait much longer. I’ll have gotten you a ticket by the end of the week.” Romulus winced right after he said that. He really should be careful when making promises… It may calm Roman down now, but if he failed to follow through, Romulus may have to lock himself in his office to survive the wrath.

“You’d better have!” Roman pounded his fist on Romulus’ desk as he yelled, not caring that he knocked various things in the process. Then he turned on his heel and stormed from the room. Both Romulus and Pryce let out sighs of relief, sharing an exasperated glance.

“I imagine this whole ticket thing has made things rather hard for you,” Romulus said. “I’m sorry if Roman’s becoming more difficult. He’ll calm down when he has a ticket.”

Pryce shrugged. “I’m used to it. Tantrums come with the job anyway. And-”

“PRYCE!”

“And I should probably go. Goodbye, Mr Salt.” Pryce turned and hurried from the office, catching up with Roman as they left the factory. “Sorry.”

Roman huffed. “This is so unfair… I ask for one thing and he doesn’t get me it. I mean, there were five tickets! How hard is it to find one?!”

“Roman, there are many places they could be, and-“

“It’s like he doesn’t even care about or love me!”

This caught Pryce off guard. He looked down at the boy beside him, who had now fallen quiet, glaring at the floor. But there was a hint of sadness in his eyes. “Roman… your father loves you so much. Can’t you see how much he does for you? He’s completely stopped the production of his business all to help you.”

Roman rolled his eyes. “You wouldn’t get it…” Before Pryce could say another word, Roman stormed off, hopping into the car and slamming the door behind him. “Home! Now!”

The driver raised an eyebrow. “But Pryce is still out-”

“He can head home for the day! I don’t want to speak to him right now! HOME. NOW!”

The driver did as he said, and Pryce sighed as he watched the car pull away. He reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone before calling his roommate. “... Hey, Arthur? Can you come pick me up? Yeah, I got left behind again… Outside the nut factory, yeah. Thanks.”

-

Logan didn’t look up from his laptop and notepad as the news report played from the TV in the living room. Even though he could feel his pa’s glare from where he was leaning in the doorway, and that glare caused fear to bubble in Logan’s stomach, his focus didn’t waver. Anton saw the ticket being found as a bad thing, as it meant Logan had less of a chance of winning one. Logan, however, saw it as a great help. Knowing where that ticket had gone could help him.

He had already (less than legally) hacked into the Duke company’s computer system - it was surprisingly simple - and found distribution information. All he had to do was find the most recent date Duke bars had been shipped to Dusselheim, and see where else they had been shipped that day, and from there start narrowing it down.

Anton suddenly let out a scoff, eyes still on the news report, where Patton was excitedly talking to Remy about his hopes for the tour. “‘Friends’? What a joke… Remember, Logan, the other children on the tour aren’t your friends. They’re your competition. Don’t get all buddy buddy with them. You have to show that you’re better. Win or-”

“-die trying,” Logan finished. “I understand, Pa.”

Teal looked up from the book he was reading, frowning up at his husband. Anton caught his look and raised an eyebrow, sneering at him. “What’re you giving me that look for?”

“Nothing.” Teal quickly said. Only to pause, before taking a deep breath. “Actually… it’s not nothing. I, um… I think it’d actually be nice if Logan were to make some new friends. I mean, right now he only really has Joan, and-”

“Friends show weakness,” Anton spat. “Too sentimental. And they distract you. Logan’s too busy for friends, they’ll get in his way.” He looked over his shoulder, back at the boy sitting at the kitchen table. “Right, Logan?”

Logan nodded, ignoring the sinking feeling he felt as his pa had spoken.

Teal sighed, looking down at his book but not reading, fiddling with the pages. He should say something, and give his husband a piece of his mind. He put his book on the coffee table, before standing from his armchair. He started marching over to Anton, to finally stand up to him…

… Only to walk right past him and into the kitchen.

Great.

Teal’s eyes went to his son, still sitting at the table, eyes glued to the laptop screen as he scribbled down information from it. He sighed, stepping over to Logan and ran a hand through his hair. “Hey, Lo, you’ve been doing work all day. How about you take a break for a bit? You could put on your onesie, and we could curl up on the couch and watch a movie? Big Hero 6?”

Before Logan could respond, Anton cut in. “He can’t afford to take a break, there’s only four tickets left. He needs to find one quickly.”

Logan nodded. “Pa’s right, it’s best I keep looking.” He paused. “Though I wouldn’t mind if I could have some Crofters?”

Teal smiled, before pressing a kiss to Logan’s head. “I’ll go grab you some, Lo.”

Logan felt a small smile tug at his lips. If there was one thing he liked most about his dad, it was that he didn’t have to work for affection from him. As the jar of Crofters and a spoon was placed in front of him, he pulled his gum from his mouth and stuck it behind his ear. Then he opened up the jar and dug in.

Anton frowned. “Don’t be such a pig, Logan. You eat fast like that all the time and you’ll put on weight, and you can’t exactly win any of your sports competitions if you get as fat as that kid who won the first ticket.”

Logan nodded, slowing down, knowing better than to try and argue that Crofters was organic and healthy.

-

“First golden ticket’s been found.”

Virgil raised an eyebrow as Missy joined the Discord call. “What the hell is that noise in the background?”

“That would be my brother, screaming because, as I said, the first golden ticket’s been found and he’s annoyed he didn’t get it.” Missy joined the Among Us lobby. “Because apparently the fact there’s four more he could win doesn’t resonate with him.”

“Well, four left means there’s three for us still,” Andy said, setting the lobby to public so they could get enough players. “Who won it, though?”

“Some kid from Germany called Patton. He seems sweet, in both the personality and he eats a lot of them sense” Missy replied. “You guys have been buying up loads of bars, right?”

“Duh,” Andy said.

“Yep,” Virgil replied, popping the p. He decided to leave out the story of how he started hyperventilating and crying right after buying a bunch and leaving the store, because he accidentally replied “you too” when the cashier told him “good luck with the competition, and enjoy the chocolate”, which was stupid because the cashier didn’t have chocolate, he was stupid, stupid stupid, a complete idiot who didn’t deserve to have such cool friends who were so eager to meet him, they’d be completely disappointed when they did and would lose them forever, rightfully so-

“Virge? You okay, dude?” Missy’s voice brought him back to the present.

“Huh? Oh… y-yeah, it’s fine. I, um… can we start the game?”

“Sure.” Andy did so. Virgil muted, before looking back to his laptop. He was a crewmate.

He sighed as the game started, pulling one of his blankets around him. He pushed back his scary thoughts, just focusing on the screen, making his little purple bean run around and do tasks. When the first body was found, and everyone started debating who it was, everything was good humour again and Virgil started to relax.

There were only four tickets left. It was practically impossible for Virgil to find one. There was no need to be worried about his friends meeting him and being disappointed. Things would be okay.

He took a Duke bar from the bag sitting by his bed, opening it and smiling at the lack of gold. He happily took a bite as he watched his little bean get murdered by Andy’s.

Downstairs, his mother wasn’t as content. Linda sighed, mulling over a glass of wine, her phone to her ear. “Again? Dice... you cannot keep doing this. This is the fifth time you’ve cancelled on him in a row. Virgil’s having a very tough time at school right now, he needs support… I don’t care if you’ve been invited to a film festival to review, your son should be your number one priority! … Oh don’t say that, this has nothing to do with us two! This is about Virgil! … Don’t you dare hang up on me, Dice- DICE!” The phone went silent. Linda huffed, practically throwing her phone down onto the table. She held her face in her hands.

God, what was she going to tell Virgil...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Remy is nonbinary! Just thought I'd let you know.


End file.
